The Conservationist

A quarterly newsletter highlighting the work and accomplishments of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish revived the historic name, “The Conservationist,” for our newsletter to showcase the excellent conservation
work our dedicated professionals do in the field of wildlife management. Conservation, often misconstrued as preservation, is the wise use of our resources. The Department is
dedicated to the long-term well-being of New Mexico’s fish and wildlife and the benefit to the people of this great state. It is our Mission, to provide and maintain an adequate
supply of wildlife and fish within the state of New Mexico by utilizing a flexible management system that provides for their protection, conservation, regulation, propagation, and
for their use as public recreation and food supply.
August 2012 l Vol. 1 No. 3
Wildfires and N.M. fish, wildlife
Photos: Blake Swanson, above; Rourke McDermott, left
Elk began moving into the burn area months after the 2011 Las Conchas Fire.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
l Director’s View .............. Page 2
l Fish and wildfire ............ Page 4
l Track Fire recovery ........ Page 5
l Little Bear Fire help......... Page 6
l Whitewater-Baldy Fire.....Page 7
l Events Calendar ............. Page 9
Department addresses impacts
on state’s bird, big-game populations
By Donald Auer
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish,
Habitat Projects Coordinator
N
ew Mexico has
experienced several
large, destructive
wildfires in the past decade,
including two of the largest
ever in the state. Each of those
fires had significant effects on
the state’s wildlife.
Fire and upland game birds
New Mexico is home to nine species of
upland game birds (Galliforms) found
in habitats ranging from Chihuahuan
desert (Gambel’s and scaled quail) to
coniferous forests (dusky grouse). The
effect of fire on these species varies
with respect to fire intensity, time, and
the interaction between these variables
and rainfall.
. . . continued on Page 3
Page 2 l The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST
Director’s View
The greatest
(conservation)
story never told
New Mexico Department
of Game and Fish
James S. Lane Jr.
Director
Dan Brooks
Deputy Director
R. J. Kirkpatrick
Assistant Director for Resources
Patrick Block
Assistant Director
for Support Services
By Jim Lane
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Director
jim.lane@state.nm.us
H
Hunting in New Mexico is far
different today than it was a century
ago when New Mexico became a
state. Back then, elk recovery was
just beginning. The reintroduction
of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep was still
decades away. No wildlife agency in the United
States knew how to trap and transplant antelope
and some of our fisheries were in shambles.
Today, we have elk in every suitable mountain
range in the state, and many places no one
thought they could thrive. We have Rocky
Mountain bighorn sheep in all of our high
alpine habitats and desert bighorn sheep (once
endangered)are now being hunted throughout
their range. We have wild turkeys in growing
populations across the state. Our hatcheries
continue to provide fish for some of the best
trout fishing found in the world.
Many folks take the fish and wildlife of the state
for granted and assume their state tax dollars
are used to manage the resource. The truth
could not be further from that assumption.
The Department currently receives no General
Fund appropriations. The game and nongame
fish and wildlife management successes we
all enjoy are directly correlated to the license
dollars provided by people who hunt, fish and
trap in New Mexico. Those same license holders
and others also fund wildlife management and
recovery through excise taxes that fund the
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR)
Program, which celebrates its 75th anniversary
this year.
When you buy a new rifle or shotgun, or ammunition and fishing gear, you pay excise taxes
that fund WSFR. You won’t see it on your
receipt, because those taxes are collected at the
manufacturer level. The Treasury Department
Mike Sloane
Fisheries Management
Jim Lane with wife, Beth, son Christian
and daughter Allison.
then turns that money over to the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, which distributes the money
to states and territories.
About one third of the budget of the New
Mexico Department of Game and Fish
comes from the WSFR Program. The money
is used for all aspects of the Department’s
operation that are directly related to continued
conservation of all wildlife, fisheries and the
habitat on which they depend. WSFR monies
also fund hunter and conservation education
classes across the state.
The USER PAY = EVERYONE BENEFITS
system that shooters, hunters, anglers and
trappers pay into each year has resulted in the
most successful model of wildlife conservation
in the world. Through your purchases, the state
conservation machine of wildlife management
will continue into the future, run by dedicated
managers devoted to preserving our wildlife
heritage.
Great things have been accomplished during
the last 75 years. With your continued support,
the next 75 years will be just as fantastic. The
next time you enjoy the sound of a bull elk
bugling in a meadow, see a peregrine falcon in a
canyon or a trout swimming in a stream, thank
a fishing, hunting or trapping license holder.
If you are one of those license holders, I thank
you. If you are not, I encourage you to become
a part of the greatest conservation machine in
history by buying a license.
Thanks for all you do for conservation.
Warmest regards,
Cal Baca
Wildlife Management
Matt Wunder
Conservation Services
Martin Frentzel
Public Information and Outreach
Alexa Sandoval
Administrative Services
Sonya Quintana
Human Resources
Ray Aaltonen
Southwest Area Operations
Chris Neary
Northeast Area Operations
Leon Redman
Southeast Area Operations
State Game Commission
Jim McClintic
Albuquerque
Tom Arvas
Albuquerque
Bill Montoya
Alto
Robert Espinoza Sr.
Farmington
Scott Bidegain
Tucumcari
Thomas “Dick” Salopek
Las Cruces
Paul Kienzle
Albuquerque
Volume 1, Number 2
The New Mexico Department of Game and
Fish Newsletter is published by the
Public Information and Outreach Division, N.M.
Department of Game and Fish.
Contact The New Mexico Department of Game
and Fish for permission to reprint content.
Printed in the United States under contract
with the State of New Mexico.
Marty Frentzel
Chief, Public Information
and Outreach Division
Lance Cherry
Chief of Publications
Letters may be sent to:
N.M. Department of Game and Fish
P.O. Box 25112
Santa Fe, NM 87504-5112
Telephone (505) 476-8000
ispa@state.nm.us
Jim
Please visit our website,
www.wildlife.state.nm.us
Wildfires
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST l Page 3
Continued from Page 1 . . .
Generally, upland game-bird
population dynamics are sensitive
to annual productivity. Productivity
is driven in part by the amount and
structure of habitat available. Initially,
the impacts of wildfire may be negative
due to reduced nesting and broodrearing cover. However, over time
the disturbance caused by fire has
potential to have positive impacts on
upland game-bird populations because
grasses and forbs that provide these
habitat components tend to increase
in response to the initial reduction in
vegetation.
Big fires and big game
In the Southwest, big-game
populations have existed with fire for
thousands of years. Although every
wildfire burns a different amount of
acreage with different intensities, the
Wildlife Management Division does
not expect to see big-game population
declines due directly to the large
wildfires in New Mexico over the last
few years. At a population level, large
animals such as deer, elk, bighorn
sheep, bears and cougars are able to
escape the direct impacts of fire, such
as flame and smoke, and any negative
influences of fire on big game are
short-lived. Animals may temporarily
move into unburned habitat on
the perimeter of the fire and into
unburned interior pockets until new
vegetation growth occurs. In general,
wildfires throughout the West have
enhanced habitat conditions for big
game.
Research has indicated that
fire increases the amount and
distribution of preferred forage for
big game, leading to an increase in
the nutritional quality of ungulate
diets (Hobbs and Spowart 1984). Post
Photo: Blake Swanson
The 2011 Las Conchas Fire burned in a mosaic pattern in the Valles Caldera
National Preserve, improving wildlife habitat in many areas.
examination of the large 1988 wildfires
in Yellowstone National Park that
burned nearly 800,000 acres found that
winter habitat use by ungulates was
greater in burned versus unburned
areas. This increase in use continued
at least four years post-burn (Pearson
et al 1995). In addition, research from
Arizona on fires within ponderosa
pine forests found an initial avoidance
of burned areas for up to two years,
but then a two- to ten-fold increase
in use of burned areas for up to seven
years (Lowe et al 1978). Concordantly,
examination of the aftermath of the
Rodeo-Chediski wildfire in Arizona
indicated preference for burned versus
unburned areas of radio-collared elk
(Bristow and Cunningham 2010).
Many factors influence the dynamics
of ungulate populations. Fire can
alter soil, hydrological and vegetation
characteristics of wildlife habitat.
These changes can increase the amount
and distribution of nutritious forage
for big game, including grasses, forbs
and shrubs. Although every fire is
different, most fires burn in a mosaic
pattern (a mixture of unburned and
burned acreage, with varying burn
intensities), thereby increasing the
diversity and health of big-game
habitat across the landscape.
Bristow, K. and Cunningham, S. 2010.
Female Elk Habitat Use after the RodeoChediski Fire in Northeast Arizona. In
C. van Ripper III, B. F. Wakeling, and T.
D. Sisk (eds.), The Colorado Plateau IV,
Shaping Conservation through Science and
Management, pp. 277-291. The University
of Arizona Press.
Hobbs, N.T. and R. A. Spowart. 1984.
Effects of prescribed fire on nutrition
of mountain sheep and mule deer
during winter and spring. J. of Wildlife
Management, 48(2): 551-560.
Lowe, P.O., P.F. Ffolliott, J.H. Dieterich, and
D.R. Patton. 1978. Determining potential
benefits from wildfire in Arizona ponderosa
pine forests. Aspen Bibliography. Paper
7097.
Pearson S.M., M.G. Turner, L.L. Wallace,
and W.H. Romme. 1995. Winter habitat
use by large ungulates following fire in
Yellowstone National Park. Ecological
Applications, 5(3):744-755.
Page 4 l The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST
Fish populations struggle after fires
Viveash Fire of 2000, Polvadera Creek
following the South Fork Fire of 2010,
and Gila Trout from Spruce Creek in
the aftermath of the Whitewater-Baldy
Complex Fire of this year. Our success
at maintaining wild fish in a hatchery
environment is limited, so salvage is
not generally a viable alternative unless
there is an unaffected stream to release
them into rapidly.
By Richard Hansen
Assistant Chief of Fisheries
F
ire is a fact of life
in the Southwest.
It is no different
for our fisheries
resources. We have seen no
fewer than 15 watersheds
affected by wildfires in the last
two years. Flooding, channel
modification and fish kills
are the most obvious damage
following fires, but fire related
impacts can be fairly complex.
Fisheries populations experience both
acute and chronic stressors following
a wildfire. Acute stressors are those
that directly affect the fish and include
sediment transport due to rapid
erosion of burned hillsides, oxygen
deprivation due to increased organic
loads in streams, and rapid changes
in water chemistry due to ash. These
impacts are generally greatest during
the initial monsoon season following
a fire. During runoff events and
subsequent fish kills, the public often
becomes concerned and reports seeing
dead fish. This is also when we are
asked what we are going to do about
things. The truth of the matter is that
there is nothing we can do and no way
to evaluate the severity of the situation
for several months.
Chronic stressors do not result directly
in fish kills, but reduce the ability
of a system to support a fishable
population. Chronic stressors can
affect a fishery for years after a wildfire.
Water chemistry can vary greatly for
two to three years following the burn.
The stream channel continues to
Department file photo
Department of Game and Fish and
U.S. Forest Service biologists worked
to salvage native cutthroat trout
from Polvadera Creek after the 2010
South Fork Fire.
evolve until the watershed stabilizes
with the establishment of vegetation
and equilibrium of sediment transport.
Channel instability inhibits primary
productivity and recolonization of
macroinvertebrates, limiting food
sources for fish. Recovery from these
factors can take as long as 10 years
depending on the severity of the
burn. It is during this period that we
can make a useful evaluation of the
damage our fishery has suffered.
Our reaction to fire varies. In the case
of sensitive species such as Rio Grande
cutthroat trout, we may try to salvage
some of the fish before monsoon rains
strike. With cooperation of the U.S.
Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, we have attempted
salvages of Rio Grande Cutthroat
trout from Cow Creek following the
If the fishery was one we manage
with put-and-take stocking, we can
likely re-establish angling opportunity
within a year or so. Catchable rainbow
trout do not tend to persist in the
environment, and shifting conditions
due to the aftereffects of the fire have
limited influence on the fishery. We
have applied this management strategy
to sections of the Rio San Antonio
and East Fork of the Jemez following
the Las Conchas fire of 2011. Most
of the waters affected by wildfires
are wild trout waters. Typically these
streams are inaccessible to our trucks
and stocking with hatchery fish is not
a practical alternative. In most cases,
the wild fish are not completely killed
and they will re-establish on their own
within a couple of years.
Occasionally we will get a complete kill
within a stream/watershed. Examples
include Capulin Creek in the Jemez
Mountains following the Dome and
Cerro Grande fires, and Pine Lodge
Creek in the Capitans following a
2004 fire. Complete fish kills can be a
blessing in disguise. In both of those
examples, we introduced Rio Grande
cutthroat trout populations and
increased their range. Unfortunately,
the Las Conchas fire of 2011 appears
to have wiped out the Capulin
population, but we are working toward
repatriation of cutthroats into that
stream and about six others affected by
fires in 2011 and 2012.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST l Page 5
The June 2011 Track Fire near
Raton burned 27,792 acres,
including Sugarite Canyon State
Park. A year later, new growth
was springing up in burned
areas, below.
Photos: Clint Henson
Habitat recovering after Track Fire
By Clint Henson
Northeast Area Information Officer
I
understand when people
drive through a burn area
that they feel sad because it
doesn’t look like it used to,
and for many years, or perhaps our
lifetime, it will look differently.
Blackened trees stand as tombstones
that are reminders of that event. But
how many of those people get out of
the car and walk around in that
“devastated” landscape. If more people
took hikes and saw the transformation,
it might change their minds about a
fire being a bad event. Now don’t get
me wrong, fire can be very destructive
and I hate to see homes burn in a
forest fire, but I think that the public’s
attitude toward fire is off base. Smokey
Bear continues to do a great job in
showing the devastation of wildfires,
but I have been a wild-land firefighter
for six years and a wildlife biologist for
16 and my perspective of fire is very
different than Smokey’s.
When you walk through Sugarite
Canyon State Park, one year after the
Track Fire, you see the most amazing
display of new growth and diversity.
Light now reaches the forest floor and
old forest litter has become nutrientrich soil. Browse species such as
gamble oak, mountain mahogany and
even aspen trees are now available to
deer and elk. There will be a much
larger acorn crop in the coming years,
which will help pull bears off of Raton
dumpsters. Burned trees will become
snags that will be home to birds, bugs
and a food source for woodpeckers.
Sugarite was fortunate in that last
year’s rains, after the fire, were gentle
and the snow melt was slow. This gave
forage the ability to grow and stabilize
the soil so there was little erosion from
the burn area.
The New Mexico Department of Game
and Fish worked with Sugarite Canyon
State Park and the City of Raton
to protect the wildlife, habitat and
Raton’s water supply during and after
the fire. That work continues as forest
conditions improve. Now is a great
time to visit Sugarite Canyon State
Park. The fish have been biting and it is
a great place to “take a hike”!
Wildlife and New Mexico forest
ecosystems evolved with fire. Only
in the past 80 years have humans
been so successful in suppressing
this natural, and very needed force.
Fires provide a diverse habitat that is
vital to sustaining a healthy, natural
ecosystem. Consider the good of the
rebirth of the forest, not just the loss of
the trees.
Page 6 l The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST
Department lends a hand near Ruidoso
By Mark Madsen
Game
Department
officers manned
roadblocks and
assisted property
owners during
this year’s Little
Bear Fire near
Ruidoso.
Southeast Area Information Officer
T
he Little Bear Fire
was started by
lightning June 4 in
rough terrain near
Ski Apache northwest of
Ruidoso. The fire was
suppressed at about 100 acres
until high winds caused it to
jump containment lines,
resulting in approximately 44,
330 acres being burned. Most
of the terrain burned consisted
of mixed-conifer habitat
within the White Mountain
Wilderness. Unfortunately, in
those areas affected by the fire
outside of the wilderness, 234
structures were lost -- 224
homes and 10 out-buildings.
Department of Game and Fish
personnel were directly and indirectly
involved in the fire-assistance efforts.
Alamogordo Supervisory District
officers assisted with evacuations
along with other law enforcement
agencies during the early stages of
the fire, including notifying residents
of evacuations and then marking
properties where contacts were made.
Department officers also collected
information from individuals who
refused to leave their homes and
reported that information to the
incident command post manned by
the Lincoln County Sheriff ’s office.
As the fire activity continued,
Department officers, including
office staff and officers from other
Photo: Mark Madsen
supervisory districts, assisted with
manning roadblocks to restrict
access into and out of the burned
areas. Department personnel were
exclusively responsible for manning
one roadblock 24 hours a day for
three days during the fire. Department
officers also patrolled evacuated areas
to insure that no one was in the areas.
As fire activity slowed, Department
officers assisted other law enforcement
agencies with escorting individuals
to their residences to retrieve
medications, attend to livestock or
other emergency situations. One
officer rescued a dog that evidently had
jumped out of the owner’s truck during
evacuations. That dog was successfully
returned to its owner in Capitan.
Department personnel continue to
work with the local media, answering
questions about the fire’s effects on
wildlife and wildlife habitat, including
participating in public meetings about
the Little Bear Fire.
During the height of the fire activity,
more than 1,100 personnel were
actively fighting the fire. Numerous
air-tankers and helicopters were also
used to contain the fire.
The Little Bear Fire completely burned
the area around Bonito Lake, resulting
in concerns about the integrity of the
lake and dam. The City of Alamogordo
immediately started lowering the water
level at the lake in preparation for
the monsoons and associated runoff.
Some heavy rainfall has fallen on the
burn scar, resulting in localized flash
flooding and mudslides.
Department and Forest Service
biologists will be monitoring Bonito
Lake to determine the effects of the
burn and associated ash and debris
runoff on the fishery at the lake.
Chances are that the trout fishery at
Bonito Lake will take a several years to
recover.
Recovery and reclamation efforts are
under way in the Little Bear Burn
area. The Forest Service started aerial
reseeding efforts in many areas of the
burn scar shortly after the fire was
contained. Crews are also working
diligently on debris removal from the
Bonito and Eagle Creek drainages in
the burn area. Monsoonal rainfall will
hopefully result in a timely regrowth of
the reseeded areas and other areas of
the Little Bear Fire.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST l Page 7
Recovering from Whitewater-baldy
By Richard McDonald
Southwest Area Information Officer
A
s we approach the
fall hunting
seasons, everyone
is wondering what
impacts the Gila fires will have
on wildlife and their habitats.
As of July 26, the Whitewater-Baldy
fire, the largest in New Mexico history,
was estimated at 300,000 acres and still
smoldering at 95 percent contained.
Upon first glance, the landscape hit by
the fire looks charred, destroyed, even
decimated in areas. One might ask how
the forest can ever recover from an
event like this.
When looked upon by a wildlife
biologist, optimism and excitement
are in full swing. As fire burns
through thick canopies and brushy
undergrowth, sunlight is allowed to
reach the forest floor. This in turn
allows a new generation of seedlings
to sprout. These new green sprouts
will prove to be rich in nutrients that
in turn will help animals flourish.
Trees will grow back less dense,
providing more tasty grasses and
forbs. Recovering plants will provide
more fruits, berries, acorns and other
tasty morsels. The green, as we call
it, also will aid in antler growth and
development.
According to Ryan Whiteaker,
Regional Fire Planner for the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service,
wildfire can have immediate and
drastic impacts on the landscape.
“Approximately 70 percent of fire
can be positive, while it’s important
Photo: Storm Usrey
Willow Creek felt the full force of this year’s Whitewater-Baldy Fire.
to react to fires quickly and establish
a plan with the goal of recovery in
mind,” Whiteaker says. His agency,
along with United States Forest Service
and other entities have started to
implement recovery efforts to help
the forest get back to its full potential.
Agencies will plant thousands of seeds,
build waddles, and lay down rows of
tires along with bushels of straw in an
attempt to slow the erosion process.
bear and elk that were lost in the fire.”
Whiteaker says deep, intense burns
such as Whitewater-Baldy can help
renew the soil by burning dead or
decaying matter. Fire also can act as a
disinfectant, removing disease-ridden
plants and harmful insects that injure
trees and other flora.
“To look for wildlife in low- to
medium-intensity burn areas after it
receives some moisture,” Gehrt says.
“These areas will green up quick with
luscious grass and browse.”
As far as impacts to the wildlife, it’s
hard to say just yet. According to
Reserve District Wildlife Officer Casey
Gehrt, “There have been few reports of
For the most part, wildlife move out
of the way of fires. They don’t move off
too far and it’s common to see them
back in burned areas shortly after
the fire has moved on or died out. It’s
important to understand that wildlife
tend to adapt really well to conditions
and often come back stronger after an
event like this.
No doubt a lot of wildlife was displaced
by the fires this year, but if you look
close enough beyond the trees, I would
bet you will see a fair share of animals
taking advantage of that nutritious
green candy.
Page 8 l The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST
Fish, big game returning
after Las Conchas Fire
By Ross Morgan
T
One of the areas impacted by the
fire was the Valles Caldera National
Preserve.
“The biggest impact that the preserve is
experiencing is the short-term impact
on the fishery,” said Dennis Trujillo,
executive director of the preserve.
“Ninety-five percent of the fish
population was killed when ash and
debris washed into the streams after
flash floods in the area.”
In an effort to assist the preserve with
the fish kill, the Department of Game
and Fish has been working closely with
preserve staff stocking fish back into
the east fork of the Jemez River. Trujillo
said the preserve definitely will see a
long-term benefit from the fire, as they
are already starting to see new aspen
and grass growth through much of the
area that was burned.
Knowing that the Bandelier National
Monument was hit hard by the fire, a
crew was sent in to survey the Rito de
Los Frijoles stream for fish survival.
During this survey, department
A big thank you
from Lincoln Co.
As crisis brought on by the Little
Bear Fire wanes, I wanted to take
the time to say a big thank you
for all of the help and resources
your office brought to the table to
battle this fire. Lincoln County, its
residents, and the Lincoln County
Sheriff ’s Office, in particular, are
grateful for the efforts put forth by
the New Mexico Game and Fish
office in general and your office.
So thank you and know we appreciate all you did.
Northwest Area Information Officer
he Las Conchas fire, the
state’s largest fire at the
time, started June 26, 2011.
The fire was ignited after a
tree fell on a power line
just across from the Valles Caldera
National Preserve in the Jemez
Mountains. The fire consumed more
than 156,000 acres of federal, state and
private lands. Although the fire
consumed many acres of habitat, there
were a lot of places it cleared thick
undergrowth, generating a healthier
landscape.
LETTERS
Photo: Blake Swanson
A mule deer buck browses on new
growth sprouted since the 2011 Las
Conchas Fire in the Jemez Mountains.
Sincerely yours,
R.E. Virden, Sheriff
Robert L. Shepperd, Undersheriff
fisheries biologists and Forest Service
personnel learned that monsoongenerated floods that followed the
fire washed ash and debris down the
stream, killing all the fish.
“This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing,”
said Northwest Area fisheries manager
Rick Castell. “Now the department,
along with the Park Service, can
monitor the stream for a few years until
it has made a full recovery and restock
it with the state’s native cutthroat trout.”
Implementation of the Burned Area
Emergency Response began at the
end of July 2011, when aerial seeding
was applied to 5,200 acres and aerial
mulching was applied to 1,100 acres.
There also were 117 cultural sites that
were identified and treated by hand.
Now, more than a year later, much of
the area that was burned has recovered
and is once again providing forage for
wildlife.
Photo: Clint Henson
Conservation officers Colin Duff,
left, and Shawn Denny manned
a roadblock during the Little
Bear Fire.
Police chief praises
conservation officer
You should be proud of Donald
Jaramillo. He is representing your
agency to the fullest extent and
possesses all the traits associated
with excellence.
Dan Robb, Police Chief
City of Belen Police Department
Page 9 l The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish CONSERVATIONIST
2012 DEPARTMENT EVENTS CALENDAR
August
November
New Mexico Outdoor
Expo
Aug. 18-19
10 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 p.m.
City of Albuquerque
Shooting Range State Park
Albuquerque
Contact: Jennifer Morgan
Hunter Education Program
(505) 222-4731
State Game Commission
Meeting
Nov. 1
Raton
www.wildlife.state.nm.us
State Game Commission
Meeting
Aug. 23
Rio Rancho
www.wildlife.state.nm.us
September
Photo: Dan Williams
A net full of fun
Espanola District Officer Ben Otero got some help
stocking trout in Santa Cruz Lake during Free Fishing
Day activities June 2. The annual event was sponsored
by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the
Department of Game and Fish.
Kids Fishing and Outdoor
Skills Clinic
Sept. 29
Fenton Lake State Park
Free Fishing Day
www.wildlife.state.nm.us
Contact NMDGF
(505) 476-8000
Free Fishing Day
Sept. 29
No license required
Watch Department website
for locations and details
www.wildlife.state.nm.us
Contact: NMDGF
(505) 476-8000
Festival of the Cranes
Nov. 16-18
Bosque del Apache National
Wildlife Refuge
Contact: (575) 835-2077
festivalofthecranes.com
December
State Game Commission
Meeting
Dec. 13
Lordsburg
www.wildlife.state.nm.us
See Something Missing?
Send your event information to
Lance Cherry,
lance.cherry@state.nm.us.